Growing into Grace is a life elevating series on growth, grace, and womanhood. Grace has been the most pivotal part of my coming of age. Daily I give thanks for grace and constantly I am working on giving myself and others the same grace that God gives me. In this series, join me as eight amazing women give their insight on the 5 Things They Know for Sure and their take on “Grace, not perfection,” and what that means in their lives currently. Feel free to comment below and share their insights on social media!

Maya Earls is a Philadelphia transplant working as a general assignment report for The Philadelphia Tribune. She is a self-proclaimed soccer nut and fitness enthusiast and an accomplished writer. Most recently, Earls received her Master’s degree from the Columbia School of Journalism in New York City. Her work has been featured in The Baltimore Sun, RVA Magazine, Haitian Times, and more.

“Grace, not perfection” to me falls along the lines of shooting for the moon and landing among the stars. There is elegance in both reaching for the best you can be, and accepting that not everything needs to be perfect. It’s hard not to want to one-up yourself. It’s hard to keep from putting your flaws under a magnifying glass. But once you realize that in your flaws you are perfection, that is when you reach the state of grace.